But those who have never picked up an instrument before encounter a number of barriers, which range from limited access to the notion that it's too late to start. That gap is where Artiphon's co-founder Jacob Gordon takes aim.

“The arts should be participatory," Gordon told NEW INC in an interview. “That includes remix culture, and the idea that participation should be inclusive, democratized, and accessible. Media and arts should be a two-way street."

In 2015, Gordon and his partner, Mike Butera, launched a successful Kickstarter campaign for an electronic device called INSTRUMENT 1, a musical instrument that boasts the combined capabilities of a piano, a guitar, a violin, and a drum set.

Courtesy Artiphon.

“This is a connected device,” Gordon says, “which means it taps into your iPhone, iPad, or computer. You can plug and play with the Artiphon app, or explore a long list of third-party apps and software like GarageBand, Ableton Live, Logic, and so on.”

At the moment, Gordon says the company is supporting their community forum of around 1,200 active users, developing the instrument's existing software, and plotting new products. Until then, musicians and hobbyists alike have been employing the Instrument 1 in surprising ways – and often to spectacular effect. See seven things you could do with one:

The INSTRUMENT 1 can be set up like six strings and twelve frets of a guitar, so all the lessons you find on YouTube will translate nicely.

"If you wanted to learn your first guitar chords, set guitar in the Instrument 1, look up a tutorial on YouTube, and you can do it," Gordon explained. "All the fingering you would do on a traditional guitar you can [also] do on this."

"With a few basics, you can really start to get something cool going," Gordon said. "This is good for electronic, dance, and hip-hop artists. The app has traditional and electronic drum machine sounds."

"[We're encouraging] that maker-culture mindset of trial and error, and doing experiments, and inventing and not feeling like you need to squeeze yourself into a rigid definition of what music-making should look like," Gordon said.

"We have a mantra we recite amongst ourselves: Dabbling is not a crime. Part of it is the tools, and part of it is the mindset."